In a Night of the Long Knives for charisma-free nonentities, Mainland Affairs Minister Patrick Nip is shoved sideways in favour of the Xi fanboy from Immigration, and several other top posts are reshuffled. This entails a fond farewell to the laughable Lau Kong-wah and a warm welcome for a couple of rising, ideologically reliable officials drawn from the pro-Beijing DAB.
An anonymous insider suggests Chief Executive Carrie Lam was disappointed in the individuals’ performances – though they were relatively uninvolved in the last year’s horrendous screw-ups, and anyway she’s not in charge. The lateral-thinker in me wonders if, perhaps, they were not mediocre enough? There’s also a hint that, in his new role as Civil Service Secretary, Nip will be tasked with enforcing political discipline among rank and file government staff.
The HK & Macau Affairs Office issues a buy-two-get-one-free pack of general-purpose mouth-froth, accusing Joshua Wong and Martin Lee of an independence plot, blasting lawmaker Dennis Kwok, supporting police arrests of pro-dem veterans, repeating Beijing’s authority over Hong Kong, whining about foreign forces, and on, and on.
Dennis Kwok expects to be disqualified.
RTHK is criticized for allowing opinion that is opinionated. And the police have a panty-wetting fit about ‘hate speech’ directed at themselves, which they will ‘follow up’.
Cue the news that Hong Kong falls another seven points to 80th place in the World Press Freedom Index, courtesy of police violence and government evasiveness (this would pre-date the late-night press-release-airbrushing).
Hong Kong U’s SPACE extramural department reportedly fires a lecturer for saying the virus cover-ups make him ashamed to be Chinese.
Human Rights Watch struggles to keep up.
For those who find it all too bewildering, bear in mind that the Chinese Communist Party inhabits a parallel universe. Rational observers might wonder why Beijing can’t come to terms with an educated, free, pluralist society that essentially just wants to be left alone. But the CCP sees mortal enemies everywhere, and in its paranoid mind, Hong Kong’s mainstream middle-class population is a (foreign-led) threat – and this is a fight for survival.
The struggle is full on.
I hope at least one reporter, at the beginning of every government press conference, regardless of level or department, asks “Excuse me, could you please repeat Hong Kong’s core values?” Maybe they could take turns.
“This entails a fond farewell to the laughable Lau Kong-wah and a warm welcome for a couple of rising, ideologically reliable officials drawn from the pro-Beijing DAB.” I thought Lau Kong-wah was originally brought in as an “ideologically reliable official drawn from the pro-Beijing DAB”? But at this stage, it’s all rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic anyway. I hope the media hanmmer Carrie on the press freedom index at today’s press conference.
To be in a mental place as dark and paranoid as the United Front and CCP’s, every hour of every day, waking and sleeping, must be terrifying beyond belief. I’m more than glad – I’m grateful that their worldview is beyond my grasp.
It’s not terrifying for them, Chris. They are all, one or more of the following:
– stupid (eg Holden Chow)
– evil (eg the boys who run the camps in Xinjiang)
– power crazed (eg Regina)
– greedy (eg Heung Yee Kuk)
These traits override any misgivings, fears or concerns about what they are doing or what they are enabling. Most of them have no world view at all.
As I read about the scumbags being scolded by the UN for criminal actions that are, one imagines, seen as perfectly normal by the Winnie The Pooh Brigade,
(here: https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1521978-20200422.htm), my first thought was that cheena needs to work quickly to put one of their own in charge of the UN’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
At least the United Nations special rapporteurs were smart enough to go directly to Beijing! Speaking with HK government officials would have been pointless even though the charade is still being played out. (image versus substance!)
Speaking of ‘one of their own’, this piece about “The Gangster Head of the WHO” is revealing:
https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/the-gangster-head-of-the-who/
Sdaly, the deckchairs that should have been thrown overboard are still in place.
@asiaseen – nice one!
@Revolution – you forgot opportunist (e.g. the tycoons).
Re Cops vs RTHK
So the group who reported absolutely classic lies in their press releases like “no room for IDs on our new uniforms”, “we couldn’t find any armed men in Yuen Long”, “it was just a yellow object”, and “the motorcyclist tried to separate his colleagues and the rioters” absolutely do not accept inaccurate or misleading reports and remarks?
Seems like a rather inaccurate or misleading report and remark from the cops there.
Regarding the replacement of the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs by the immigration chief, Lau Siu-kai believed that the government will be more stringent in vetting the eligibility of candidates in the coming elections, as Tsang, from the disciplined services, will be in charge of the elections.
Of course candidates can always sport a Xi button on their lapel when they hand their papers in and make complimentary noises on his office adornments.
@Private Beech: Lau Kong-wah was chosen for being ideologically reliable. He also happens to be completely useless.
The purge has extended to insufficiently zealous loyalists.
I guess Tsang must have been chosen because of his Beijing connections (though just what are they?). I fail to see how someone whose whole career (apart from 2 years with the Security Bureau) has been as an immigration officer from bottom to top. What experience does he bring to “overseeing the full and faithful implementation of the Basic Law” and ensuring “that the various levels of public elections are conducted in a fair, open and honest manner”?
I know the real answer but I just wonder what terminological contortions CENO can invent to justify the appointment of someone so inexperienced.
Breaking News!!!: Christine Loh has been put under suicide watch after she learnt about the latest round of appointments, and she was not part of it (not even assistant secretary, or secretary to the assistant secretary, ffs).
Vagina Ip suffering from toxic shock and currently being prepped for ICU and possible intubation. Her blood type is ‘rabid bat soup’ so if you want to contribute call Shiu Lam Hospital.
@Joe Blow – Had a proper chuckle at that, thanks